This Kickstarter-backed oscilloscope watch is the nerdiest thing you can put on your wrist

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If you have ever looked down at your watch and wished it could do a little more, perhaps you want a smartwatch. If, however, you’ve ever wished there was a giant electrical test instrument strapped to your wrist, well you want an entirely different kind of watch like the oscilloscope watch that has just launched on Kickstarter. It’s already closing in on the $60,000 funding goal after just a few days.

The oscilloscope watch will feature a 1.28-inch monochrome LCD screen with a resolution of 128 x 128 (an OLED or e-paper display is also possible). It will, of course, function as a regular watch with an alarm function, but the watch can also be used as a standard oscilloscope, a waveform generator, a logic analyzer, a protocol sniffer, and a frequency counter. This will all be controlled through eight tactile buttons on the watch and powered by a 400mAh li-ion battery that should last about 30 days on a charge.

You may look at this device and think it’s a foolish sort of thing to attach to your wrist, but there is clearly a dedicated subset of electronics enthusiasts who are clamoring for a compact testing unit like this. All the limited early bird funding levels have been claimed, and a few hundred people have already pledged at the regular $125 level or higher to get an oscilloscope watch.

There are still a few unknowns as the oscilloscope watch closes in on the goal. Integrating probes to actually measure a source is a challenge. These may come in the form of a keychain attachment or be build into the watch strap, but this will be decided later. The size is also up in the air. The prototype is a bit bulky, but it’s in a rough 3D printed case. The final product may be a little more slim, but don’t assume anything yet. This isn’t really being designed as a fashion statement anyway — you won’t impress very many people with your oscilloscope watch.